Weft-feeler mechanism for looms.



H. A. OWEN.

WEFT FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED 1UNE26. 191s.

l 9291,62Q, atcnted Jun. 14, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- H. A. OWEN.

wm' FEELEH MEcHANlsM FOR Looms.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1916.

.lutmlted Jun. 11, 12H0.

4 SHEElb Sllhll 2 /Uve/uofr (OwffyL J Hoff/zag H. A, OWEN.

wm HELER MECHANISM Fon Looms.

AIPUUMION FILED JUNE 26,1916.

lutontod Jam. 11.1., 1919.

4 SHEE'ISMSHEET 4.

r oratori.'

HENRY A. OWEN, OF WHITINSVILLE, MASSACHSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO -DMPER CORPORATION, TION OF MAINE.

0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- WEFT-FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Patented aan. ia, iai?.

VApplication med Ju'ne 2e, 191s. seria; No. 105,794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. OWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Whitinsville, in the county of Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Weft- Feeler Mechanisms for ooms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention is an improvement in sideslipping feeler-motions for looms, such for example as disclosed in Patent No. 1,127,086v

' of 'useful service was greatly curtailed, and

theiry durabi that thereby the reliability and accuracy of side-slippin motions are enhanced and ity greatly improved.

The invention may be embodied variously in ractice. lThe drawingsshow illustrative embodiments thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings'shows in plan cert-ain portions of a loom having applied thereto one of the said embodiments of the invention, the lay being rearward, and the shuttle-box front-plate and the front-wall of the shuttle occupying the shuttle-box beingpartly broken away.

ig; 2 is a view thereof mainly in endelevatlon, with the lay-beam in vertical section.

. Fig. 3 is a view of the same general char-A acter as Fig. 1, but showing the lay at front center and illustrating the action when the feeler slips upon the weft-carrier occupying the shuttle and the change is called.

Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is an end elevation corresponding with Fig. 3, but with the lay, omitted, the shuttle being shown in vertical section.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively, a plan view and a side elevation showing a second illus- "trative embodiment.

` Having reference to the drawings,-

Certain of the views show a portion of the lay-beam a of a loom', and the shuttlebox at one end thereof, namely at the side of the loom at which the fecler-mechanism is located. .A shuttle, b, is shown occupying the said shuttle-box, behind the front plate c of the latter, and a bobbin, d, is `shown within the said shuttle, with weft thereon. Fig. 1 shows a substantially full bobb1n-'load, e, of weft, while Figs. 3 and 4e show the residue, e', of weft-remaining at the stage of exhaustion at which the feelermechanism calls 'a change in the operation of thel loom. In Figs. 1 and?) the front-plate and the front wall of the shuttle-body are represented with portions thereofl broken away, so as to show the slot c in the frontplate and the slot b in the front wall. of the shuttle-body, through which the feeler passes into the shuttle and into contact with the Wound supply of weft that is contained therein.

Certain of the views :how a portion of the breast-beam j' of the loom, a weft-fork slide g, and a weft-fork la.. Fig. 1 shows also a portion of a weft-hammer having a hook 7o for engagement with the tail of thc weft-fork. In addition, the views show a knocking-off lever m, pivoted at n upon the shipper-bracket o, and engaging with the weft-fork slide so as to be operated thereby for the purpose of dislodging the shipperhandle p from the holding notch therefor at one. end of the slot r in the said shipperbracket.

Each of the illustrative embodiments of the invention includes a slipping feeler l which ismounted pivotally at Q upon a carrier 3, the latter being a swinging feelercarrier as in the patent aforesaid. The feeler-carrier 3 is mounted pivotally at 4, Figs. 1 and 3, upon a rearwardly-projecting portion 5 of a feeler-stand 5 mounted upon the breast-beam. The feeler-carrier is held in its normal rearward position by means of a contracting spiral spring 7, the latter having one end thereof engaged with an arm of the said carrier and the other endl thereof engaged with a pin or stud 8'fixcd to the base or stand of the-weft-fork slide g. The said normal rearward position of the feelercarrier 3 is defined by means of a suitable fixed stop 9 upon the stand 5. IThe said Sill spring` returns the feeleneaifrier .to sucl'i po sition ai'terthe carrier has been pushed fon ward therefrom by the pressure ol' the Weit i against the feeling portionoi the feeler.

Referring now to `Figs. 1 to l 'lllie normal position of the feeler 1 upon the freeler-carrier 3 is represented in Fig. l and the feeler is kept in this position 'through tlie action of a contracting spiral arrangement, etc. lln this instance it is a transversely-extending rocltsliaft 14 turning.;r on a horizontal axis which is provided with arms 14 and 14h at its outer and inner ends respectively. 'lChe said rocksha-tt is-niounted in bearings 15,15, with which the feelerstand 5 is furnished. The outer arm, 14a, extends rearwardly and is located 'in convenient proximity to the slipping feeler so asto facilitate the actuation of the controller by means of the controller-actuating, earn which is provided in connection with the said eeler `and constitutes the essential part of the operating connection Wliereliy latter operates' or causes `the operation of tlie controller. The inner arm, il", of the controller is located in convenient workingr relations with devices which .are instrumental in callinga elia-nge in the operation of the loom, in order that it inav be com llined operatively with the said devices for the ei'i'ective control of tlie latter. Through the action ol' a spring' which is suitably combined with the controller. the controller is' rocked into its normal position oi' rest., which is deined by means or'l a stop-nuer 19 fixed upon the controller-rockshaft and engagingvvitli the surface of a portion of the loom framework. ln such position of the rocking controller, the arins 14a, 1a". thereof occupy relatively elevated positions which are shown in 2. ln the present instance the said spring isa torsional spiral spring 18 sur rounding the rockshat and having; one end thereof engaged with one of the bearings 15 and the other end thereof engaged with the liulo or tlie stopnger 19.,

The arm 12, of the eeler has at its forward end a controller actuating; cam 209 with a vertically inclined cam face. The said arm 12 projects 'forwardly from the 'pivotal mounting 2 upon the roeier-carrier 3, and so long as the said arm is held against the stop 13 on the refiler-carrier 3 the cam 20 travels in a path which clears the arm lea or the controller as the eeler-carrier is driven forward by the pressure of the sliut tlc-contents against the ieeler 1. Thus so long;- as the jiveft-carrier (l in the shuttle laas thereon sufcient 'weft to keep the feeler from slippinglaterally, the controlleracn tuatinp; cam 20 moves forward with tlie Eeelencarrier 3 Without ei 'ine' with die arm le?. This will be apparent frein 1 ot' the drawings. Villiers however., the teeling end. ci tlie eeler 1 is caused to slip laterally by tlie pressure of the substantially emptied bobbincl thereagainst, the swinging movement of the iieeler around its pivot 2 moves the arm 12 so as to carry the ver cally inclined face oi the cain 2O into position to' engage with the rear end of the arm 14? of the controller, and consequently the i'eelencarrier 3 moves forward the said cam acts against the rear extremity el tlife arm 1li substantially as in il and 4l7 so as to depress the said arm and roclr the controller' so as to move downivardtlie arrn lll" at tlie inner end of the controller-roel;- sliat. Through suoli rocking of the controller the devices for calling; a change in. the .operation of the looin are oroufrlit action and rendered effective to call the change.

'l`lie devices `lor calling a .change in the operation of a leoni may be variously constituted and arranged, and the nature of the change that is called may vary in dilierent cases. Sometimes in practice feeler-nieclia-A nisrns are employed to brine; about automatic vve'ft replenishment. Sometimes they' are employed to eiiect stopping or a looin. Herein is shown an arni 2l like that ivliicli usually is mounted in connection with tlie ordinary transversely-entendine; controlline.-A` rockslia'lt of replenisliing instrumentalities and a catcli or don' 22 mounted pivotally at 23 upon the rearwardlycxtending upper end of the said arm. The catcli or dog is formed at the rear of tlie pivot 23 vi'itli a tooth or slioulder 22% Fig. 29 for co-acti-on vvitli a striker 24. carried by weft-lianune i. The'forwardly/projectinn arin of tlie ca or dog is overwein'lited. so that normally catch or doeoccupies the substantially lic sontal position in which it is shown in 2, with a stoppin 22b which projects lateally therefrom rest-ina in contact with tlie top of arm 21. and with the tooth or shoulder 22a elevated above the path of movement, of the striker 24. To provide for control ot the catch or don' 22 by means ot' tlie controller, the arin 14" of the latter is furnished with alaterally projection," pin 1l which entends over the engaging end olf llie said' catch or dog'. Normally, that is to say while the stapeling-er 19 is in Contact with the stop-surface on the loom fran'iefmuflrQ the arrn llb'and pin Ll ot' the controller are relatively elevated to an extent permitting;

the engaging end of: the catch or dos: to

occupy the position shown in Fig. 2 with the shoulder or Vtooth 22 clear of the path of the striker 24. Consequently, as the wefthammer'operates during the regular working of the loomthe striker misses the catch or dog. l

So long as the shuttle contains sufficient weft e to prevent the feeler from turning around its pivotal mounting 2 upon the feeler-'carrier 3 when the beating-up movement of the lay carries the shuttle-contents -sults from the offset relation of its tip with reference to its support, swings the cam 2O into line with the arm 14a. Consequently, the advance of the feeler-carrier 3'caused bv the continued pressure against the feeler will cause the inclined face of the cam to en counter the arm 14a of the controller. .Thus the controller is given a glancing blow as the inclined face of the cam rides along it, so that the controller is moved gradually without shock. The roc-king 0f the-controller by the feeler cam depresses the engaging end of the catch or dog 22 and Vthereby places its tooth or shoulder 22 in the path of the striker '24. Thereupon, the advancing movement of the weft-hammer and striker will cause the striker to engage with the said tooth or shoulder 22, so that the catch or dog and arm 21 will be moved forward and thereby through the parts with which the said arrn is connected the change in the operation of the'loom will be called. As the lay moves rearward, and the feeler-carrier follows it, taking the.controller-actuating cam rearward out of engagement with the arm 14a of the controller, the controller will rock back into its normal waiting position under the actionof the spring 18, thereby freeing the catch or dog 22 from the control of the controller, and the said catch or dog will swing into its normal horizontal position represented in Fig. 2.

The catch or dog 22 of the embodiment of the invention that has just been described occupies normally a position in which it is clear of the path of the striker, and the' controller-actuating cam 20 normally clears the arm 14al of the controller, and is brought into engaging relations with the said arm to aetuate the controller to place the catch.

or dog in the path of the striker only when the feeler slips in the feeling action. Figs. 5 and 6 show a construction in which the mode of operation is more or less on the order of a reversal of that just described. In Figs. 5 and 6 the controller-actuating cam 2Oa is constructed so as to enable it to raise the Controller-arm 14a by passing under the said. arm and pressing the latter upward. Spring 18 is arranged to rock the controller reversely and hold the stop-finger 19 pressed against the rear edge of the top of feelerstand 5. The said controllenactuating cam- 20a occupies normally a relative position such that as the lay goes forward the cam engages the arm 14u when the feeler is held from slipping, and by raising the arm rocks the controller. In this embodiment the arm 14b at the inner end of the controller-rockshaft and the pin 14c carried by the said arm occupy a position in which the said pinis adjacent the rear side of an upwardly-extending arm 22d of the catch or dog, the latter being here designated 2Q. The said catch or dog of this embodiment normally occupies a position in which its tooth or engaging shoulder 2Q is in the path of the striker. The forward rocking of the controller by the action of the controller-actuating cam 2Oa causes. the pin 14c to act forwardly against the rear edge ofthe upwardly-extending arm 22d so as to swing the engaging end of the catch or dog upward and thereby raise the tooth or shoulder 22 outof the path of the striker 24, so that the striker fails to engage therewith as it goes forward. 1n this man- 100 ner the catch or dog is moved clear of the path of the striker at every feeling action so long as the feeler is prevented from slipping. l/Vhen, however, the weft 'has been reduced to a residue e (substantially as is shown in N5 Figs.- 8 and 4) insufiicient to hold the feeler from slipping at the time of the feeling action, thel turning of the feeler upon its pivot 2 which is consequent upon the said slipping carries the controller-actuating cam Q0 out 110 of engaging relations with the arm 14 ofthe controller, and as the feeler-carrier 3 is moved forward through the advance of the lay the said controller-actuating cam 20 clears or misses the arm 14a, so that the con- 115 troller is not rocked. Thereby the catch or dog is permitted to remainl in its normal position, with its tooth or shoulder 22 in the path of the striker, and the striker as it goes forward engages with the said tooth or shoul- 120 der and as a result of the said engagement operates the catch or dog and arm 21 to call the change in the operation of the loom. VVha-t is claimed as the invention is A feeler mechanism for looms having, in 125 combination, a feelercarrier movable forwardly and backwardly, a side-slipping feeler supported by said carrier and moving thereon when the weft is depleted, a cam having a vertically inclined face at the for- 130 10 the eeler carrier advances, the inclined face meme@ of the cam rides alongl the weer end of' the controller arm thereby gradually turning the controller. l I

ln testimony wliereol l aflix my signature in piesenoeof two Witnesses.

'HENRY A. OWEN.

-lll/filinesees:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, ELLEN 0. SPRING. 

